The virtual world and game interface will eventually become our default user interface to the internet. Second Life offers a way to "get away from it all" in a virtual sense, but it is interesting just how much the real world mirrors itself in second life. Second Life is no Utopia, and has its share of cultural and societal problems as well as positive opportunities.
1) Pick Pockets
It was recently discovered that it is possible to steal someone's SL money which is called "Linden Dollars". Infected objects like videos that begin to play when a user is near can trigger the theft. So from the real world we have "CRIME"
2) Real Estate Speculation
It is possible to buy raw "land" in second life which is just space that has not been populated with any virtual content. It is just "empty space". You can then create content and improve that space and then resell it to other players. It is a basic free market economy which makes up a big part of the game. You can roam around "broke" or you can accumulate Linden Dollars and buy virtual "stuff" in the game. How about a villa, a private island, or a castle of your very own? The point being is that basic human "GREED" is a big part of what SL is all about. Greed is good, nothing illegal or dishonest about it, but it is interesting how the real estate and business concepts of the real world directly apply to the virtual.
3) Ego
No one creates an avatar that looks exactly like they do in the real world. Everyone applies a certain amount of "VANITY" and "FANTASY" to their avatar counter part. Players have wings, tails, full body tattoos, perfect bodies, bodies of animals, etc. You can express yourself in a way not physically or financially possible in the real world.
4) Sex
If you are with another player and you kiss them, did you just cheat on your real world spouse? When I'm wondering around I see couples together and occasionally you see them kiss. I'm sure there is no virtual limit to what could be done in this area. In google type "second life escort" if you are interested in this aspect of the game. So from the real world "LUST" and "DESIRE".
I wonder how long it would be before 2 avatars get a virtual marriage. Would they have joint virtual property? Could they then get a virtual divorce? How long before 2 avatars can "create" a virtual child? What if a living "real world" player wishes to become the "in world" child avatar of two virtually married players?
5) Boredom
You see a lot of avatars just sitting around doing nothing. There is a way that you can "camp" which means you can sit in certain locations and earn a few Lindens by being exposed to some advertising. This is the way a lot of players make pocket change. You also can teleport around to different playing areas. You see people "teleport in", look around for a minute, and then they beam out. They are looking for the "action". You also see a lot of people just standing around probably just "people watching" from their computers. From the real world "LONELINESS".
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SL is just another type of social network, but since it mimics the real world, and has an economy, a lot of human behaviors both on the plus side and negative side are also part of the game. No doubt this will become bigger and bigger over time and it will be interesting to see how much of real world human behaviors and tendencies will spill over to "in world". It definitely isn't a bunch of people sitting around talking about philosophy.
Maybe in the future there will even be public services. For instance, I read of a way to break into a locked house owned by another player. Maybe a good business would be a virtual Burglar Alarm company. If someone breaks into your virtual house an alarm would send you a SMS in the real world. Then you could call the virtual police. But then the offender would have to go to a virtual jail....virtual court, virtual lawyers...where does it end?
Economy, Crime, Sex, Ego, Wanting, it is all there.
1) Pick Pockets
It was recently discovered that it is possible to steal someone's SL money which is called "Linden Dollars". Infected objects like videos that begin to play when a user is near can trigger the theft. So from the real world we have "CRIME"
2) Real Estate Speculation
It is possible to buy raw "land" in second life which is just space that has not been populated with any virtual content. It is just "empty space". You can then create content and improve that space and then resell it to other players. It is a basic free market economy which makes up a big part of the game. You can roam around "broke" or you can accumulate Linden Dollars and buy virtual "stuff" in the game. How about a villa, a private island, or a castle of your very own? The point being is that basic human "GREED" is a big part of what SL is all about. Greed is good, nothing illegal or dishonest about it, but it is interesting how the real estate and business concepts of the real world directly apply to the virtual.
3) Ego
No one creates an avatar that looks exactly like they do in the real world. Everyone applies a certain amount of "VANITY" and "FANTASY" to their avatar counter part. Players have wings, tails, full body tattoos, perfect bodies, bodies of animals, etc. You can express yourself in a way not physically or financially possible in the real world.
4) Sex
If you are with another player and you kiss them, did you just cheat on your real world spouse? When I'm wondering around I see couples together and occasionally you see them kiss. I'm sure there is no virtual limit to what could be done in this area. In google type "second life escort" if you are interested in this aspect of the game. So from the real world "LUST" and "DESIRE".
I wonder how long it would be before 2 avatars get a virtual marriage. Would they have joint virtual property? Could they then get a virtual divorce? How long before 2 avatars can "create" a virtual child? What if a living "real world" player wishes to become the "in world" child avatar of two virtually married players?
5) Boredom
You see a lot of avatars just sitting around doing nothing. There is a way that you can "camp" which means you can sit in certain locations and earn a few Lindens by being exposed to some advertising. This is the way a lot of players make pocket change. You also can teleport around to different playing areas. You see people "teleport in", look around for a minute, and then they beam out. They are looking for the "action". You also see a lot of people just standing around probably just "people watching" from their computers. From the real world "LONELINESS".
---
SL is just another type of social network, but since it mimics the real world, and has an economy, a lot of human behaviors both on the plus side and negative side are also part of the game. No doubt this will become bigger and bigger over time and it will be interesting to see how much of real world human behaviors and tendencies will spill over to "in world". It definitely isn't a bunch of people sitting around talking about philosophy.
Maybe in the future there will even be public services. For instance, I read of a way to break into a locked house owned by another player. Maybe a good business would be a virtual Burglar Alarm company. If someone breaks into your virtual house an alarm would send you a SMS in the real world. Then you could call the virtual police. But then the offender would have to go to a virtual jail....virtual court, virtual lawyers...where does it end?
Economy, Crime, Sex, Ego, Wanting, it is all there.
Comments
All of the above actually have been happening for some time. There are Second Life marriage counselors, divorce lawyers, adoption agencies. And there are definitely adults who like to role-play children -- even children who have sex with adult avatars, raising the weird prospect of virtual child sexual abuse. Virtual worlds are going to make our lives stranger than we can imagine....